Letter from Thomas Gold to Dr Gordon J MacDonald, Chairman, NSF Advisory Committee on Atmospheric Sciences, National Science Foundation, Division of Atmospheric Sciences, 1800 G Street, N.W., Washington DC MacDonald's letter to Dr Bolgiano came to Gold for possible comment. Gold notes with regret the reduction of support of atmospheric sciences that seems inevitable. Clearly in as specific a discipline as the atmospheric sciences it is particularly disturbing if the balance between Ph.D. production rates and subsequent jobs is not maintained - it is much more of a problem there than in a field that opens up a wider range of possible jobs. States that the suggestion of finding support personnel to senior faculty is a very important one, and would greatly accelerate the whole business of research. It is a matter that is generally much better looked after in other countries, and one should profit from experience there. The detailed small package research grant support is slow, inefficient and enormously wassteful of effort. It also curbs original work to a devastating degree - one needs practically to prove the next step of research before being able to embark upon it. Copied to; R Bolgiano, S Leibovich 1 December 1978